Kumon (Maths & English Tutorials)

[Jack Peterson]

My 13 year Old daughter has Started an out of School Tutorial called "KUMON" it was Suggested by her Elementary School Teacher, as an Alternative to extra Tuition. I have reseached it a little and at Face value (On Paper) it sounds Good. Her let down on grades, has always been maths, so I said OK give it a try. I was just Wondering if any members here have Heard of this and/or have any knowledge of results?Of course it costs but if it can give her the help she needs then, all well and good, Any information will be gratefully recieved.Jack P.

[JJReyes]

Kumon uses an incentive system for their students. The students are rewarded through a points system, which they can exchange for merchandise. (Guess who pays the tuition and for the merchandise.)Since your daughter needs assistance in math, I highly recommend the Khan Academy (www.khanacademy.org/). First of all, it is absolutely free. The developer's mission is to provide a free world-class education to anyone, anywhere. He has over 2600 video clips teaching all the different math concepts and problem solving techniques. The free math tutorial offered by the Khan Academy is so effective that organizations like the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Kelloggs Foundation, Google, etc. are providing financial support to keep it going. I am currently working on a Philippine based project for English language learning. It includes a series of English as a 2nd Language (ESL) eBooks to be sold as DVDs for television, downloadable from a website store for computers, eTablets, portable media players and cellular phones. For parents in Japan, South Korea, China and Taiwan who want their children to become conversational in English, we will be offering "Phone English" through Philippine call centers. The English language instructors will telephone subscriber students and engage them in conversation using our eBooks (audio/text/illustrated storytelling) as materials.Our project has some relevance for the Philippines because many public school teachers and students have lost the ability to speak in standard American English. Philippine English is sometimes very difficult to understand. The is problematic for Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) and Business Processing Outsourcing (BPO) employees.

Edited March 7, 2012 by JJR

[billten]

I home-school and also recommend the Khan video's. My kids (10 and 11) love them and spend way too much time watching the ;-)Kumon is OK, but i personally think as its just another formula, it may or may not suit your daughter. Try it out, but IMO it is really just a replacement for a tutor.

[i am bob]

i was looking into purchasing a Kumon franchise until I looked a little deeper. The problem was with other franchises near by. Some are good, some not so good.... Some are the teacher making money after school (ethics?), some are just people who can't teach.. And some are great! The question is... With the Khan system available for free, wouldn't this be a more viable option to try first?

[sonjack2847]

Hi Bob you might also like to try goodwill community foundation or bbcskillswise these are free check them out and see if they fit your needsKevin

[Jack Peterson]

Thank You all for the replies, My original concept of this was a Suspicion, of a Little Money making, I am not against anyone earning a living and even getting extra but when I did the research on line, my suspicions grew a little more.. Any Web Site that has in it's few words, " FRANCHISE " has to be a little more about Money, than at first thought (Well to me anyway) The 2nd little thing I noticed, on Reading some of the Local paperwork, was that one of the tutors, would be the Teacher that had recommended it. This made me think on a little more. However, I have paid for 2 months, so I will let it run. She seems happy, she has friends doing it and I feel it would not be good, to just say NO at this stage. The results will tell the whole Story of course. I Will research, what I am reading here about the Khan Videos and have talks with her, that must be Obeyed :) But Thank you all for the response, it surely is food for thought. At the end of the day it is our Children that matter. :) Regards Jack P. :)

[i am bob]

Thank You all for the replies, My original concept of this was a Suspicion, of a Little Money making, I am not against anyone earning a living and even getting extra but when I did the research on line, my suspicions grew a little more.. Any Web Site that has in it's few words, " FRANCHISE " has to be a little more about Money, than at first thought (Well to me anyway) The 2nd little thing I noticed, on Reading some of the Local paperwork, was that one of the tutors, would be the Teacher that had recommended it. This made me think on a little more. However, I have paid for 2 months, so I will let it run. She seems happy, she has friends doing it and I feel it would not be good, to just say NO at this stage. The results will tell the whole Story of course. I Will research, what I am reading here about the Khan Videos and have talks with her, that must be Obeyed :attention: But Thank you all for the response, it surely is food for thought. At the end of the day it is our Children that matter. :attention: Regards Jack P. :)

sounds like you have the perfect plan!

[Jack Peterson]

Well Bob, it is a Plan But! Perfect, I am not sure about. Best laid plans of Mice & Man as they say, I really just want to find the best way for her to get those grades in Maths up. In this day and Age, I get the impression that most kids don't care if they can't do something, Then of Course Complain, when they need it later, I guess we were all the same when we were only 13. We can only do our best for our Children.Jack P.

[Jack Peterson]

Just an update to this Topic. I do hope, it will be of interest to those, with their childrens Education/Future in mind :)

OH Yes! Our monster has enjoyed the Kumon immensely, she has progressed well, in Maths and Written English, this extra tutorial has helped her no end and upped her grades by 2 levels and helped to secure her place at the Dumaguete Science High School. The Entrance Exam was stiff, according to her Aunt(a teacher herself) so to Azon and I, it has been 1.500p a month well spent.

jack P. :tiphat:

[Beachboy]

Kumon works for some kids and not for others. That's true of any system. If it gets results then continue, if not try something else. The problem with these systems is that they don't teach kids how to think and reason. In math memorization doesn't work when you get into algebra and beyond. To solve problems you have to dissect and determine which method to use. Same is true in English. You can memorize vocabulary and grammar, but to learn reading comprehension and how to write papers you need a live teacher.

IMOH. Parental involvement is a must.